A winter Trip -English Version
by Jul3t
Summary: Fitz-Simmons are still in the Science & Technology Department at SHIELD academy. They have to work on a project and Fitz finds himself in the snow.
1. Note

Hi, quick Note:

Lines are for change of point of view

Italics are for internal thoughts

Bold is when a character is remembering events.*


	2. Chapter 1

After at least five whole minutes, he managed to put the key in the lock and the door opened. He felt the change at the first step he took inside. He was suddenly in a warm -really warm- zone and fought against the slumber he felt he was falling into. After a minute or so of breathing the not-glacial air, he crossed the hall to find himself in front of the elevator. He knew he wasn't the sportive kind of man but, in his actual state, he really felt like a walking dead. That's why, at this moment, he was really really grateful for the lift. He couldn't have been able to climb one floor, so he would never arrive at his apartment on the fourth. He used the strength left in his body after his not-so-great journey in the winter night, to walk -slower than he never have- the small distance to his door, and he prayed -even if he didn''t believe in any god- for the door to be opened. At this hour, there was nowhere else Jemma could be, especially since they agreed to work on the project tonight. Yep, she was definitely here waiting for him and -if he knew her like he thought he did- worrying. And he was -like always- right : the door opened and he entered inside.

He knew he never should have accepted Jemma's deal but he also knew that he wouldn't have let her go instead. After receiving their assignment two days ago, they thought about what to do and came to realize that their library didn't possess the books they needed as references. They didn't even need them to begin their work but Simmons insisted that "a work well done is a work that have been proved" and for that, they needed to verify their work using real scientists' published works. So the deal was she would begin to write the report (all those writings he hates) while HE would go to the science library to collect what they needed.  
That was only fair, in fact.

The ride there took roughly thirty minutes in bus and there was one every half hour until late in the evening, so he could stay long and wouldn't have any problem with the transport.  
When he entered the building, he breathed the familiar aroma and relaxed. The air was filled with old pages' odor, even through a part of the library contained recent publications. And it helped him feel at a place he belonged. Yes, he loved new technologies but even him couldn't resist to lose himself in the black ink.  
He found a table in a corner, where he usually "hides himself from others" as Jemma put it.  
In reality, he honestly just chose it since he didn' want to be bothered or just hear people talking. If it were the case, he would go in study rooms instead of walking home to revise.  
Seriously, why coming to the library -where intellectual people go to do intellectual stuff- to speak about one's party or one's love life? For small talks, just go to coffee shops, damn it!  
He then put his bag and jacket down and went to the quest of every relevant book for their topic. Thirty minutes later -the library was huge- he found himself hidden behind several stacks of books and periodicals. Some were opened and others just waiting their turn.

There were a few people when he entered the room but now they were four at most, including himself and the librarian -who looked at him with a strange if not judging look when she saw his table. It's not like he could burn them with his bare hands or eyes (not that it wouldn't be cool to have that power).  
He looked at his watch and get why the place was emptying: it was half past seven, so time to gather his things and put back in place all the books he took from the bookshelves before the closing time. He was thankful to Simmons for teaching him how to properly and efficiently orient himself in rows of books.  
He had been so deep into his reading since he arrived, that he didn't see that it was starting to snow, and the moment he watched outside, the streets have been covered in a deep layer of snow.  
That's why, when he was ready to leave, having all he needed, he was confronted by the fact that any bus would drive by this weather and so he would have to find another way to go home. He took a minute to admire the view because he liked the snow since he was a wee boy: the new look it gave to the grey streets, grey buildings. All these ugly things were hidden by those small particles, who, put together shaped a blanket over the city. Even if everything was now white, white was better.  
His contemplation ended when he realized that the over way to go home was a two-hours walk.

He took a glimpse of his watch to see how long he'd been walking _. What?! thirty minutes! it's so long... I wish I had Kristoff for friends -or any other friend but Kristoff would be the more helpful in this situation. Oh Simmons is going to kill me. But it was her idea after all, that's not my fault that it friggin snowed! Wait, what am I talking about? Of course Jemma didn't know it was going to snow either, she's not miss weather. Oh shut up and walk, Fitz! Unless you want to spend the night freezing your ass in the snow. I'm going to die before having my first kiss, great. Or my first talk with a girl besides Simmons. But Simmons isn't a girl, she's my best friend in the world.  
_ He sighed, the blast of airforming a mist _Let's go home._

His phone buzzed in his jeans' pocket, he grab it and saw that the notification was for a text from Jemma. _Of course it is.  
_ "Fitz, time to think of coming back, we have work to do. See you soon" it said. Firm and gentle, like her. _Yeah, yeah, I know. I want to come back too, I didn't ask to be trapped on a sidewalk, ankles in the snow at night, forced to walk home alone in the dark_.  
But he told her none of it, instead he settled for "on my way, see u later". Yeah later was great: later as if "in two hours" or like "when I see you in heaven since I'll die from hypothermia".  
He was gonna sent the text when his phone went black. His eyes widened with disbelief "Great!" he yelled. "fucking piece of crap can't take the weather even if it didn't have to walk or crawl in the snow..." Or anything he knew the thing couldn't do since it was a non living phone like every others. But right now, he seemed to have forgotten all of that.  
He sighed, sucked it up, and continued to walk humming "tell everybody I'm on my way..."

* * *

She busied herself with the report she had to do while Fitz went to get the books. It was simple, obviously, but really tedious and time seemed not to pass. When she checked the time for the tenth time in the last hour, it was 9pm and she had no update from Fitz. The library closed its door at 8pm so he should be here by now, but he wasn't and she started to worry. In fact, that's not right, she was worried since half past eight. She couldn't help it, maybe maternal instinct.

She decided to proofread the work she's been done with thirty minutes ago to occupy her mind.  
The tension build up in her shoulders with time passing and she couldn't concentrate on what she was doing, so she gave up and began to pace from the desk in front of the window to the bathroom on the other side of her apartment and came back, again and again, trying to soothe her nerves. She noticed to herself that their place wasn't big at all. This strategy didn't really work though and in her ride she stopped to her bedroom to change into her pyjamas since it was late in the evening.

In between putting her shirt, she heard the door opening and -a rather long moment later- closing.  
She sighed the breath she kept since the last two hours: he was finally back, everything was okay. "Fitz what took you so long?" She sounds like she was angry, which she was because he didn't let her know he would be late. But she was relieved he was safe and sound.  
However, when she went into the corridor to the living room, she came to realize she was wrong.  
Fitz was still in front of the door, confused, and he haven't answered her yet.  
"Fitz are you okay? Where were you?" She asked, worry growing when he didn't answer. He was still unmoving so she repeat "Fitz?"  
This time he glanced at her, as if he just realized where he was and that she was talking to him. "wha'?" He asked quietly, shaking his head slightly, as if waking up.  
"It is really late, what happened to you?" She said moving forward to where he was.  
"I... walked." He answered, his words slow.  
"What?!Why?" She didn't understand what he meant by walking; walking from the bus station? Unless he walked from the... No, it was too far, and not by this weather.  
But then Fitz talked. "Ssnow, no bbbus, hav' to walk... Cold." And at this moment, she really looked at him and noticed he was shivering, his cheeks were pink and his lips were a little blue. _Oh no,_ she tought. He had walked from the library to their apartment since bus might have stopped driving because of the snow. She looked at the window. _Oh shit._ It was still snowing and the floor was entirely covered in white.  
She almost ran the rest of the way until she was beside him, and he looked worst closer; he was really pale and his gaze was unfocused. She thought he could fall at any moment so she set her mind to act.  
"Fitz" she tried to took his attention "Hey, we are going to take your clothes off, okay?" She said gently. His eyes widened. _At least he heard you.  
_ "why? 'm cold" He was clearly out of it but she was not discouraged.  
"Yes. You are cold because your clothes are damp, so we need to put them off. Okay?"  
"Oh" Was the only thing he answered her and he started to move to take off his coat with gloves-free, red and blue, shaking hands. _What the fudge?!_ She began to really be concerned by his state. Why did he go outside, in the middle of a cold winter without his gloves? She reminded herself to give him a talk for his reckless behavior. At least the boy had scarf and hat and the fact he was shivering was a good sign.  
She helped him to remove them and waited for him to give her his coat. She took it and put it on a chair which would certainly be dripping water later, but that was not the matter.  
Seeing that he had stopped any motion, she reached for his cardigan and undo the buttons. Fitz didn't say anything, he was too quiet, to be honest. She put the cloth with the others and looked at him when she says "any better?" He didn't look better, and he confirms it by shaking his head. She really didn't like to see him like this, him who is usually a talking-machine.  
She sighed and reached for the bottom of his shirt and pulled it up until it reached his head. She then told him to lift his arms to put it off completely. She succeeded only because he was, fortunately, only one head taller than her. She let him continue to strip and looked at the opposite wall to give him some privacy. But she heard him groan in frustration so she turned around and he was still in his shirt and jeans. He was trying to undo his shoelace but his hands did not want to cooperate, so she stepped in his space, kneeled and pushed gently his frozen hands to do it for him. He offered her a small smile in return and pulled off his shoes, socks and jeans.  
Once it was done, she didn't let him time to be self-conscious and took his wrist to guide him to the couch where she ordered him to sit.  
"You're going to be sick if you don't warm up. So you stay here and I'm going to take care of you." She said firmly, and went to his bedroom to take his duvet; she knew he had been close to hypothermia by his symptoms and had some knowledge how to treat it and prevent further complications.

She came back to see he was dozing off, his head to his chest. He was quite adorable, but it was a misplace thought and she shook it off her head.  
She grab the extremities of the duvet and wrapped it all around him until his neck. He seemed to be pleased by the warm he missed since at least two and a half hours and the shivering eased a bit. But she knew it wasn't enough, and he would need to hydrate himself before feeling any better. So she decided to bring him a warm tea, which he liked and would warm his organism. She put the kettle on, took two mugs out, placed them near the kettle and went back to him. He was silent and motionless, but she had to wake him up for now. She kneeled before him and nudged his shoulder slightly but he wouldn't budge, so she insisted until he lifted his head. He looked so young and confused...  
She reassured him talking slowly for him to understand. "Hey, you're okay. I'm taking care of you, but you can't sleep now, okay? I'm bringing you warm tea, the one you love, with two teaspoon of sugar. And you can sleep later, promise."  
"Okay, thanks Jem." He almost whispered, proof that he really felt bad.  
"You're quite welcome, I'll be back in a sec'. " She went to prepare their tea then placed it on the coffee table in front of Fitz. She sat next to him on the couch and put an arm over his shoulders to keep him warm. He hummed lightly and relaxed in her embrace and she smiled, content she was helpful.

* * *

He was recounting the last events, the moments when he still 'controlled' his thoughts. _  
_ _ **It really is freezing, why didn't I wear gloves?! Am I an absolute idiot? Better not to answer this...And I'm famished; should I grab something?**_ **  
"no you're already late, you don't have time to fill your stomach, you glutton!" A voice inside his head, sounding like Simmons, told him. Offended, he continued to walk.** _ **Wait, was it possible to be offended with his own internal voices?  
"yeah, totally. Normal people do it all day long"**_ **his sarcastic self answered him.  
** _ **Oi! I am becoming a crazy person...**_

Fitz didn't know where he was when he lifted his chin, but he recognized Jemma's voice and it calmed him even before he understood what she was telling him. "Tea, sleep later."  
Okay he could wait to please her, anything for her. She wasn't with him anymore and he felt lonely.  
He felt really bad; he was so cold and he didn't seem to be warming up, his body shivering without his permission. He was also so much tired, he felt like he could pass out but fought to keep his eyes open until Jemma came back. He realized he was only wearing his t-shirt and boxers but he couldn't care less, the only thing he could think of, was the sleeping world who was calling for him and the ice-cube that was his body. His mind was foggy but he managed to reminisce events of the evening.

When Jemma finally came back with the tea, he didn't want to drink it since he would have to move from under the cover to do so. So he didn't budge and when she joined him on the couch and embraced him, he couldn't stop himself from making a noise of contentment. Her arm was light so he wasn't crushed under its weight, the touch was comforting and she radiated heat. And comforting means that he was dozing off again. However, Jemma would't let that happen and removed his arm to shake him. _Let me sleep..._

* * *

Only one minute after she sat with him, she saw he was nodding off, as if her touch had lulled him to sleep. _Seriously why did he have to be so cute?_ Cute or not cute, she made him tea and he would drink it even if she would have to force him. He was not very warmer than he was sooner and the blanket itself would not do the job.  
She put her arm away from his body and moved his head from her shoulder while pushing him to wake him up and encouraged him to sit straighter. After only a bit of reluctance, he complied and half opened his bright blue eyes. _First stage completed_ , she thought to herself.  
She reached for his mug and offered him.  
"Took it, it will not taste as good when cold." She teased. He looked at her with puppy dog eyes, but she wouldn't crack; her mission was to get him better, he liked it or not.  
"It will not come to your mouth by itself you know? Do you really want me to feed you?" With that she knew she had win; he hated to be babying and she knew that, with her words, he would take the bait. And she was right; he shifted under the fabric to free his arms. She saw he was tempted to go back under the blanket but she placed the mug in his hands before he could do anything "Just drink your tea, and I will not bother you again. You could go to sleep until tomorrow night if you want." She said with honesty. It was not a problem for her, she knew he needed a long night of sleep.  
She watched him carefully take a slip of the beverage and sigh when it flowed past his throat. This put a satisfactory smile on her face and she relaxed.

He conceded she had been right; the tea had a positive effect. He almost didn't swallow the first gulp, but when he did, he didn't regret it. It was warm but not burning and the heat spread out inside him and make him feel a little better, a little warmer. Besides, it was delicious, Jemma did it the exact way he likes it: sweet.  
His exhaustion made the process slow and difficult, but he eventually took the last gulp and put the mug on the table before turning toward Jemma, waiting for her orders.  
"really good! Now I can respect my part of the deal." She said as if he found the formula of a new vaccine. But she looked at him with gentleness and attention, so he didn't mind at all.  
"I guess you're exhausted, what do you think about getting you to your bed?"  
 _well guessed_ , at this point it was an understatement, but his bed? _Oh hell no!_  
"'m fine here." He told her. No way he was going to his room now.  
She chuckled "Of course you want to stay here, you lazy man!" She poked at his side to make her point.  
"I'm not!" He retorted, offended. _Oh great, now I looked like a child_.  
"I'm sorry Leo, of course you're not." She put a reassuring hand on his arm, which made her flinch. "You're still cold, let's get you covered." There were nothing to argue to that and he let her repeat the wrapping process. At least, came something good from his suffering: he wasn't alone and glad that it was Jemma or it would be really awkward.  
What did he do to have her as best friend, he didn't know but he wasn't going to complain. "Thanks Jem'" He told her, forcing his eyes to focus on hers.  
"You don't have to thanks me, Fitz. You are my best friend, I'm not going to turn my back on you." She said it with so much confidence and earnest that it warmed him a whole other way.  
"You're the best." He told her with a genuine smile, that even tiredness couldn't erase.  
She blushed at his words and stand to let him lie down.  
"I know. Now lie down and sleep. I'm going to retrieve another blanket." She ordered.  
"yeah okay." He agreed. That, he could do with pleasure.  
She came back rapidly and deposited the blanket on his lying shape. His eyes were closed and his breathing deeper and slower. She touched his forehead a moment then removed it to place a kiss.  
"Good night, Leo" She told him before heading to her bedroom.  
Sleeping or not, Leo smiled to himself.

Approximately one hour later, she woke him up to be sure he was doing okay. She, herself, was very tired but she have to keep watching him in case his state deteriorated.  
"Fitz" She said quietly, to not startling him.  
"Jem" He half opened his eyes. She was relieved to see those fixing on hers. He was waiting for her to add something, so she did. "Just looking if you need something."  
"I'm alright, go t'sleep." She grinned, trusting him to tell her if he wasn't okay, and touched by the affection they shared each other.  
He too, was thankful for her ministration but now he just needed to sleep as well as her.

She woke up at 8, having enough sleep for the night, and stepped out of her bed. She began her routine: to make her bed, wash her face and apply some moisturising cream, brush her hair and put a jumper on. She would change in her day clothes after breakfast.  
She stiffed a yawn exiting her bedroom and stopped to the loo, before going to the kitchen.  
She rummaged through foodstuff in the food cupboard to find the muesli when she heard muffled sounds. She stand up and placed the item on the furniture before searching for the noise. _Of course_ , realization came to her. she had forgotten Fitz was sleeping on the couch and now he was waking up because of her. He was still under the two blankets and she couldn't even see his face.

"Fitz are you awake?" She asked from the kitchen.  
"hum" He nodded.  
She crossed the living room to stand near him.  
"Don't you ever do this again!" She said as desperation and worry from the last night resurfaced. At this, he woke up completely.  
"What?" his voice came hoarse. Noticing her angry expression, he reacted.  
"Of course I'm not going to walk two long hours in the freezing air, in the snow! Never again in my life. I'm not a masochist" He retorted quickly in a defensive tone and a fit of coughs followed.  
"yes. I mean, of course I know you're not a masochist Fitz! Just... I was so worried" She said more calm, but the concern was visible on her features.  
"I know, I'm sorry. I'm okay now." He reassured her. He didn't like the frown of concern on her face.  
"Are you tho?" She asked, completely aware of his state.  
"Well almost. Right now not really, I'm still cold. But I'm going to be." He said in a tired voice. He just wanted to sleep or hibernate for the rest of the season, like a bear.  
"Oh Fitz, you must be... You almost froze outside in this weather! That was a bad idea." She said, blaming herself for having send him in the cold.  
"Hey it was OUR idea, not yours. And if I watched outside anytime sooner, I could have get out of the library and came back sooner. But I was not paying attention." He put the blame on him and she was not going to accept that.  
"Okay it's our fault. And your body will, eventually, warm itself. You just have to give it time." She tried to reassure him, adding a genuine smile.  
"yeah I know. I'm sorry we couldn't work last night" He said feeling guilty.  
"That's alright, we have plenty of time when you're feeling better" She assured him in an enthusiast tone and put her hand on his shoulder for him to believe her.  
As if she was angry against him... He was his best friend and even if, he sometimes, really upset her, now was not the case; he was a poor victim of the winter's outbreaks.  
She wasn't sure if today would really be a productive day, but she couldn't put the blame on Fitz.  
"Yeah" He sniffed, "I'm going out of bed... soon." He said, shifting on his back and pulling the cover away. _Of course you are,_ she thought watching him moving in slow motion, until the blankets were at his middle and he shivered. She, then, squatted down to stop him and pulled the cover up his chin. He looked at her quizzically _What are you doing?  
_ "You're not going to be any help to me like that. Rest and we'll see if we can work later." She answered his silent question. He pouted at her words but didn't move an inch.  
"Sure if you insist." He was totally content with her plan, and was already drifting off.

He woke up at 4pm with rosy cheeks and a fit of cough and she congratulated herself for already having done their homework sat down, made it to his bedroom and came back in a warm pyjama, hair in all places and cuter than ever. She smiled when he sat down on the couch and grinned when he asked "Would you want to do a Disney marathon?" First because there was no way she would refuse a Disney marathon and second there was no way she would refuse HIM a Disney marathon right now.  
They spent the evening watching movies and Fitz ended up sleeping on Jemma's knees before the end of Brother Bear.

The End.


End file.
